1. Technical Field
The present invention relates generally to an improved data processing system. Still more particularly, the present invention relates to the storage of cookie files on a user's computer system.
2. Description of Related Art
The Internet, also referred to as an “internetwork”, is a set of computer networks, possibly dissimilar, joined together by means of gateways that handle data transfer and the conversion of messages from protocols of the sending network to the protocols used by the receiving network (with packets if necessary). When capitalized, the term “Internet” refers to the collection of networks and gateways that use the TCP/IP suite of protocols.
The Internet has become a cultural fixture as a source of both information and entertainment. Many businesses are creating Internet sites as an integral part of their marketing efforts, informing consumers of the products or services offered by the business or providing other information seeking to engender brand loyalty. Many federal, state, and local government agencies are also employing Internet sites for informational purposes, particularly agencies, which must interact with virtually all segments of society such as the Internal Revenue Service and secretaries of state. Providing informational guides and/or searchable databases of online public records may reduce operating costs. Further, the Internet is becoming increasingly popular as a medium for commercial transactions.
Currently, the most commonly employed method of transferring data over the Internet is to employ the World Wide Web environment, also called simply “the Web”. Other Internet resources exist for transferring information, such as File Transfer Protocol (FTP) and Gopher, but have not achieved the popularity of the Web. In the Web environment, servers and clients effect data transaction using the Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP), a known protocol for handling the transfer of various data files (e.g., text, still graphic images, audio, motion video, etc.). The information in various data files is formatted for presentation to a user by a standard page description language, the Hypertext Markup Language (HTML). In addition to basic presentation formatting, HTML allows developers to specify “links” to other Web resources identified by a Uniform Resource Locator (URL). A URL is a special syntax identifier defining a communications path to specific information. Each logical block of information accessible to a client, called a “page” or a “Web page”, is identified by a URL. The URL provides a universal, consistent method for finding and accessing this information, not necessarily for the user, but mostly for the user's Web “browser”. A browser is a program capable of submitting a request for information identified by an identifier, such as, for example, a URL. A user may enter a domain name through a graphical user interface (GUI) for the browser to access a source of content. The domain name is automatically converted to the Internet Protocol (IP) address by a domain name system (DNS), which is a service that translates the symbolic name entered by the user into an IP address by looking up the domain name in a database. The HTML file also contains data, which may not be displayed at the browser. This “hidden” data may be used to store information or execute programs without the user's knowledge of the existence or purpose of the information or program.
A hidden data field, which may be included in the HTTP header of an HTML file, is a “cookie” data field. A cookie is an HTTP protocol header document element, which may be used to provide multiple data elements to the browser. Server sites do one of three things: (1) does not send cookies; (2) sends transient cookies; and (3) sends persistent cookies. Some cookies may be specified by the server site as persistent, implying that they will be stored on the user's hard drive and remain available even if the user closes the browser or reboots the machine. Other cookies are transient and will only persist while the current browser session is open. In response to receiving an HTML file with a cookie, the browser may store the cookie data elements in a file, which are usually kept in a profile directory for the browser. Also, a different cookie file may be present for each user profile (e.g. each person in a family can have their own profile on the same computer with their own cookie file). These cookie data elements are also referred to as “cookies”. Once a cookie is sent to the browser computer, the server expects the cookie to be returned in the HTTP header of subsequent messages sent from the browser to the server. The inclusion of the cookie in the HTTP header of messages from the browser is done without the user's awareness. In this manner, the operator of the server may identify repeat visitors to the server site.
The Internet also is widely used to transfer applications to users using browsers. With respect to commerce on the Web, individual consumers and businesses use the Web to purchase various goods and services. Some companies offer goods and services solely on the Web while others use the Web to extend their reach. A cookie provides a way for a Web site to keep track of a user's patterns and preferences, and potentially store the cookie on the user's computer. The storage of a cookie may be the unauthorized storage of data on another user's computer. The cookie may be used for tracking the user and his or her requests for information from the server site without the user's knowledge or permission.
Browsers typically accept all cookies as a default option. A browser also may allow a user to disable the acceptance of cookies entirely. The browser may include an option to determine whether to accept cookies. While this option disables the acceptance of cookies, this option does notify a user that a cookie was detected. A browser may also accept all cookies, but only return cookies to the originating site. Browsers also have an “ask me each time” option. This option asks a user whether to accept a cookie every time a cookie is presented for acceptance. This option, however, becomes tiresome quickly. A user may receive three or four pop-ups on every Web page in which a yes or no response is required.
Some Web sites may not function properly when the acceptance of cookies is disabled by the browser. Therefore, a user may not be able to access a Web site without having cookies accepted by the browser.
The user basically has two options: 1) disable cookies and then not be able to talk to a vast number of Web sites (many of which the user trusts and does not care if cookies are sent) or 2) enable cookies and get all of the downside of cookies.
Therefore, it would be advantageous to have an improved method and apparatus for managing acceptance and storage of cookies on a data processing system.